


At night I see that hand that reminds me of the stand that I made

by TDaL



Series: The Red [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Stiles, Canonical Character Death, Dark, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Gen, Hunter Stiles Stilinski, Hunter!Stiles, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, Sassy Peter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-29
Updated: 2013-08-29
Packaged: 2017-12-25 00:02:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/946282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TDaL/pseuds/TDaL
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Derek. Please tell me he's lying. Please tell me that what he's saying isn't the truth. Derek..."</p><p>Derek didn't do anything. He just shook his head and kept staring resolutely at the ground. Stiles couldn't help but let out a small choked sob. Their family had been burned alive because Derek had told Kate about them being werewolves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At night I see that hand that reminds me of the stand that I made

**Author's Note:**

> A friendly reminder that this is part 2 of a series. Please read the first installment, because this won't make any sense otherwise. One of the scenes was inspired by [this](http://resave.deviantart.com/art/Little-Red-Riding-Hood-3-358719580) fanart. Title from Take That's 'Never Forget'

"I loved your family like my own! Your parents were like mine as well to me! I loved them all! I loved _you_ too! And you just _left_ me here! My soul burned, scarred and hollowed out! I _loved_ you!" Stiles roared at him.

He made a move to shoot his gun, but Derek whacked it out of his hand before he could get a shot off. He flicked his wrist to get a blade to slide out from where it was hidden under his sleeve and he managed to get a swipe along Derek's chest, drops of blood flying around and splattering everywhere. Derek stumbled and Stiles slammed into him, forcing him down onto the ground. He let out a frustrated scream and stabbed down, his blade easily piercing through the thick leather and into the meaty skin of Derek's shoulder. He had put so much force behind it that the blade had been buried to the hilt and might even have gone deep enough to touch the ground. 

Stiles let out a heavy sigh as he took a moment to gaze upon his handiwork. It seemed that Derek was still so out of sorts that he was just groaning in pain, not even trying to make a move against Stiles. Hands grabbed his shoulders and slowly pulled him up and off of Derek. Peter stood next to him, looking down at his nephew with what seemed to be pity. It was obvious that he felt some kind of sorrow to see Derek on the ground like that. Especially because he and Peter had decided that they didn't want Derek in this mess at all. 

There was a grunt as Peter swung his leg back and kicked Derek hard in the head. All tension was released from his body. Stiles stared down at Derek's unconscious form with many conflicting feelings. The blood at Derek's temple made him worried, although he knew that the wound would heal in time. The blade was still sticking out of his shoulder, as if teasing Stiles that if he had gone a little further to the side, he would have pierced through Derek's heart. But as he watched Peter kneel down to pick Derek up, it was with cold eyes. 

Derek should never have been a part of this. It was supposed to be simple. This never should have happened the way it did. They were supposed to kill Laura so Peter could become Alpha, lure the Argents into town and kill all of them. Though this was only part one of their plan. Like Stiles had told Allison, the murder of her and her family was to bring in even bigger game. 

Stiles moved to grab Allison's phone and did the exact same thing he had done with Chris' phone. As he walked away, he did it without looking back. Peter was already waiting in the car for him, the lights on to illuminate through the slowly darkening forest. Derek was still out cold in the backseat. 

Stiles leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes. He didn't know exactly how he felt. There were so many different emotions and thoughts going through his head that it was difficult to sort them all out. Luckily it was the weekend now. He would take the days to rest before diving head first back into school. 

It was probably going to be a disaster in town for the next few days. Beacon Hills never had many murders, excluding the Hale fire but that had been ruled as an accident by that asshole Garrison Myers, so having nearly two dozen people die over the span of three months was insane. Peter had said that as long as no one died anymore, it was unlikely that the Feds would drop by. Stiles wasn't so sure though. He had no doubt that Federal Agents would be monitoring the town now. They would see the connection. They would see that the main targets had been the Argents. 

Once they got home Stiles helped Peter take care of Derek before going upstairs to take a shower. Standing under the hot stream of water, Stiles watched as red went down the drain. There was more than he had expected but he had slashed and stabbed Derek at close range. He rubbed his hand over his face. Derek would be dealt with soon. 

-

School was just as subdued as he had expected it to be. A lot of people had already been on edge because of all the murders that had been happening. But now one of their own had been killed. Stiles strolled through the hallways, taking the time to pause like everyone else at the memorial people had started at Allison's locker. Maybe he should have brought something along. Most people viewed him as a friend of hers after all. He'd get some of those fake flowers and tape it to her locker door tomorrow. 

After everything that had been happening, Stiles was still way ahead in his work in all of his classes. He was a straight A student, the A- in Chemistry making him second in their year to Lydia. It was just because Harris didn't like him. But that dislike went both ways. 

Despite the fact that he knew that what he had done was necessary, it was still hard to watch Scott. His dopey best friend hadn't said anything to anyone so far and by lunch, all Scott was doing was staring at his tray and playing with the food. Stiles tried to get him to react by stealing his pudding, but he didn't even shift his eyes at that. He knew that Scott had really liked Allison, and surprisingly she had really liked him back as well. Eventually Scott would get over it. Many people said that you never forgot your first love, but he would learn to live with it eventually. 

The next day Stiles taped a fake white lily to Allison's locker. There was already hardly any space left, but he managed to get a spot near the top. Her locker was covered in pictures, and flowers and there was so much that many things were sitting at the foot of the locker. Stiles felt bad for the person whose locker was underneath Allison's, but whoever they were must have gotten a new one assigned. 

He tried to get Scott to react to him again, but not much was working. Eventually he just sighed and moaned on about a new video game that he had bought and the copious amount of snacks that Peter had bought on a whim. That brought a little spark in Scott's eyes and he actually looked up at Stiles. It was a small victory. But when Scott stopped him just after school ended and asked if he could come by, all Stiles could do was grin. They took over the living room that afternoon. It took a while before Scott got into it, but when he did he was really focused on what they were doing. For a moment it was just like old times. Him and Scott playing video games and chowing down on unhealthy snacks and not having a care in the world.

-

"It sounds like the two of you had a lot of fun. Does he even know?"

Stiles entered the little room in the basement carrying a tray with a sandwich and a glass of water. At one point his father must have been trying to turn the room into a downstairs bathroom, but he had died before he could finish it up properly. Now it was being used as a cell to hold Derek in. 

The werewolf was sitting on a dirty old cot, tied down with wolfsbane restraints that were chained to the far wall. There was just enough leeway so he could get to the toilet that had been put in ages ago, but it wasn't enough that he could cross the room. The bright red restraints around his neck, wrists and ankles were a clear contrast against his skin. They were infused with a rare sort of aconite, one that was mild enough not to kill Derek, but enough to cause him great discomfort. Plus, the electricity that was flowing through the chains helped keep him down as well. It was a simple, yet effective way of keeping him locked up. 

Stiles set down the tray at Derek's feet, stepping back out of his reach so he could sit at the base of the door. They stared each other down for a minute before Derek reached down with a wince and grabbed the tray. He watched silently as Derek ate.

"What would Scott say if he found out you were the one who killed Allison? What do you think he would do? I doubt he'd have any sympathy for his best friend-"

"Shut up." Stiles growled. Derek had no right trying to patronize him about this. Did he really think that Stiles wasn't constantly asking those same questions to himself? 

He knew that deep down there was a little tinge of regret, but everything he had been doing was for a greater cause. He couldn't just let the memory of his family be tainted by the fact that they were murdered for no reason besides the fact that they were werewolves. Kate must have just been trying to show off when she rounded up her little gang of miscreants and they set the Hale house on fire. 

"This is all Peter’s idea isn't it? All these years he's been whispering in your ear, raising you and molding you exactly the way he wanted to."

"Peter raised me just fine. Spectacularly if you think about the fact that he watched his family burn alive and that the only blood relatives he had left fled to the other side of the country."

"I'm sorry Stiles..."

" _No_! You have _no_ _right_ to be sorry!" Stiles got up and turned up the knob of the electricity. Derek let out a pained grunt and the tray and its contents crashed onto the floor as he slumped against the wall and convulsed. Stiles left the current up high as he kneeled down to pick up everything off of the floor, not even sparing a glance as Derek writhed in pain on the cot next to him. It was several minutes later when he turned the current back down to its previous setting. Stiles paused in the doorway for a moment, stealing just a small glance over his shoulder before he left, slamming the door behind him.

Peter was sitting in the kitchen, reading a newspaper as Stiles stomped into the room, tossing the tray and plastic cup into the sink. He leaned against the counter as he ran his hand over his shorn hair. Peter was peering over the top of the newspaper at him, a small smirk on his face. All Stiles could do was scowl before going over to sit down at the table as well and leaned his forehead down on the cold, wooden surface. 

"Quite the little spat the two of you had down there."

He really didn't feel like talking about it right now. But he knew that if he didn't give Peter the pleasure of conversation that his uncle would keep on stubbly prying throughout the rest of the night. "He just doesn't get it. Why can't he see that what we're doing is taking vengeance for what happened to our family?"

"He's delusional Stiles. I wouldn't doubt it if he spent all those years in New York pretending that it never happened."

Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. Stiles kind of wanted to know what Derek had been up to all of these years. He wanted to know if he had finished high school. He wanted to know if Derek ever went to university. He even wanted to know more about his little pack. The pack that he and Peter were still not sure what to do with. Bonnie had come knocking on the door a few days before, asking them if they had heard anything from Derek. She told them that he wasn't answering his phone and that they had tried to locate him through the GPS on his phone, but didn't have any luck because they weren't getting a signal. 

They told her that they didn't know where Derek was, but they would keep out an eye for him. It kind of struck Stiles as odd that Derek hadn't tried howling to signal his pack where he was. So there must be some kind of reason why he hadn't done that yet.

-

The town was pretty much on complete lockdown. The curfew that had been placed before got even stricter and now there were police cars constantly patrolling the streets. People were being strongly advised to stay out of the forests for an indefinite amount of time. Everyone was on edge. The Feds had come into town and every so often he spotted a suit lurking around, but no one had been taken into custody yet. 

It was over a week and a half later when there had been a small press conference and a statement had been released that the Sheriff’s department and the federal agents were working together on the case to find the town closure as soon as possible. Which meant that they had no suspects yet, which meant that they had absolutely no idea who had killed all of those people. 

It was all the rage at school as well. Allison's memorial was still in place, and probably would still be there the rest of the year, but once the shock wore off the rumors started spreading. Apparently Allison had mentioned that her father worked in the weapons distribution business, so a few people were saying that they all might have been killed by some hardcore rival distributor. Other people thought it might have been some kind of family dispute. There were so many different theories going around and some sounded even crazier than others. 

Stiles thought that it was hilarious. He had heard so many different things and none of them had been even close to the truth. Well, it was pretty much impossible for anyone to actually be able to guess what had really been going on. If he were crazy enough to whisper into people's ears that it had all been a dispute between werewolves and hunters, then he would have been shunned like no one’s business.

They hadn't even connected the animal attacks to the murders. Not really anyway. Not all of the facts had been released by the Sheriff’s department, but Stiles was sure that they were baffled at how some people had been killed with guns, while others had been torn apart by what seemed to be an animal. 

Stupid, ignorant people. There was so much more to the world that they thought they knew. Creatures that hunted in the night, things that only appeared in people's worst nightmares. Sure, a lot of mythology was bogus, but everything had a little piece of truth in it.

He was at lunch with Scott when he heard some new whispers going around. Apparently an older man had charged into the Sheriff’s station, demanding that he was allowed to see the remains of his family. The man had been escorted out with promises that as soon as a clue was found that he would be informed immediately. 

Jackpot.

-

This time when Stiles went down to where they were holding Derek, it was the middle of the night. It had already started to get colder and he had put his torn red hoodie on. He was going to have to buy a new one soon. Because it would be a shame if he didn't at least look good when he went hunting. It seemed that he had an image to maintain. 

It was cold in the basement, but Derek was still sound asleep. The cold probably didn't bother him as much because werewolves ran a slightly higher temperature than humans. Stiles managed to fasten a restraint over Derek's eyes before the werewolf began to stir. It was stupid of him to be so at ease while he was a prisoner. 

He got off of the bed and walked over to the door, his hand stopping right above the knob that controlled the electrical current that was going through the chains. After a moment of hesitation Stiles flicked it up higher and he could immediately see the confusion in Derek's body language. Stiles walked over to the cot as he watch Derek sit up. 

He climbed on, moving to straddle one of Derek's legs and placing his hands on the werewolf's bare chest. He let out a breathy sigh as he traced all of Derek's rippling muscles. He started down low, digging his thumbs next to Derek's hip bones before slowly moving up, running the pads of his fingers over his six-pack and past his pectorals to cup the side of his neck over the restraint. Stiles wouldn't get shocked by the current, not as long as he kept his fingers out from under the restraints. The wires weaving through the chains were insulated and the ends on the inside of the restraints were the ones that we connecting Derek to the current. 

He used his free hand to carefully pry off the restraints of Derek's wrists. There was already a definite change. Derek's claws had lengthened and Stiles could see the gleam of his fangs in his mouth. He could only imagine the blood red gaze that was hidden behind the restraint he had fastened over Derek's eyes. His right hand wrapped around the chain that was connected to the neck restraint and he was about to tug down when Derek's hand came up and held onto his. His free hand came up and rested on the back of Stiles’ head, tugging the hood off as he pulled Stiles' head [closer](http://resave.deviantart.com/art/Little-Red-Riding-Hood-3-358719580).

Stiles held his breath, his honey brown gaze never moving from Derek's face. To his relief (and slight disappointment) Derek didn't try anything else. All he did was nuzzle the top of Stiles' head and run his fingers over the back of the teen’s hand. It made Stiles think back to the night after he had killed Kate, when Derek had accused him of killing her and they somehow managed to fall into Stiles' bed together, just laying down next to each other reaching out with idle touches. It also reminded him how big physical contact was to werewolves. Memories of makeshift cuddle piles and placing his hand on Derek's one gloomy night flashed in his mind. It was all so very familiar, yet completely foreign now. 

"Gerard Argent is here. He's the last piece. After this we're going to be finished."

"And then what Stiles?" He could feel Derek's breath rush over his hair. "I can help you."

"You can't help me. Not in the way you think you can."

"Are you sure?"

Stiles gulped and he started to withdraw. First he tugged his hand out of Derek's grip and started doing up the restraints around his wrists once more. Derek never struggled against his ministrations, only pressing Stiles' head closer for a moment so he could press his lips against his forehead. He barely managed to pull himself away from Derek, his eyes never once leaving the man in front of him. He didn't adjust the current before pausing in the doorway though. 

"You've had chances to get out of here... Why haven't you?" Stiles didn't dare wait for a reply, closing the door behind him and running up the stairs to get to the safety of his own room.

-

He couldn't concentrate at school at all the next day. All he could think about were the phantom touches that roamed over his skin, his mind playing tricks on him and tingling in places that Derek hadn't even touched. It was in a moment of weakness that he had gone downstairs. What had even been going through his mind? He kicked a trash can in frustration as he walked past it. He got strange looks from people in the hallways and he couldn't even care less. 

The other thing that was refusing to leave his mind was the answer to the question that he had asked, but hadn't stayed around to hear. Why hadn't Derek tried to leave yet? He had chances. Bonnie had come by again this week, telling Peter than she and Iris were going out of the county to see if maybe he had caught a scent of something and run after it. It was clear that she was very shaken up and worried for her Alpha. So why hadn't Derek just called out to her when she was there? She would have caught his voice with her enhanced hearing, so why? Did it have something to do with the fact that Derek believed that he could 'help' him? He spent the rest of the day pondering about it, even as he left the locker room after another grueling lacrosse practice.

Stiles got to his car and was about to unlock it when a hand on his door made him pause. He turned to see who had stopped him and furrowed his brows. "Deputy Grahame?"

"It's Sheriff Grahame now, Stiles."

"Uh sure. To what do I owe the honors?"

"I'm going to need you to follow me to the station." She saw that he was going to protest and held up her hand to stop him from talking. "You can either come in your jeep or I can handcuff you and take you there in the cruiser."

There were still some people hanging around in the parking lot and were already looking over to see why the Sheriff was talking to Stiles. He reluctantly nodded and got into his jeep. Why the Sheriff was asking him down to the station was something he couldn't understand. He and Peter had taken the best precautions, making sure that they left not even a speck of evidence behind that would lead to them. Just when he was going to walk into the station he saw a familiar figure standing in the parking lot. 

"Derek? Derek!" Sheriff Grahame pushed him inside and led him towards a room. She set him down in a chair across from a man in a suit and moved to stand in front of the door. 

"Mr. Stilinski." The man flipped through some papers that were spread out in front of him. "It took a while for us to find your papers since that power outage this morning brought down the system over here."

"Fuck."

The man looked up at him with a disapproving gaze.

"No! I uh... We just did groceries yesterday so it would totally suck if our fridge stopped working."

"No need to worry Mr. Stilinski. It didn't last very long, it's just that the system here takes a very long time to reboot."

Stiles leaned back in his chair, sinking down a little. Both Sheriff Grahame and the man kept their eyes on him. He stared right back until the man broke eye contact and looked down at the papers in front of him again. "What do you know about all of the murders that have been happening lately?"

Stiles stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"It says here that you were friends with Allison Argent and that you were adopted by the Hale family after your father passed away."

"What does the Hale family have anything to do with this? And yeah, I was Allison's friend! After all... She was Scott's girlfriend."

The man doesn't show the slightest change in his expression as he watches Stiles. He folded his hands on top of the table. "There is reason to believe that the so called 'animal attacks' and the murder of Katherine Argent are connected to the fire that killed the Hale family."

"Look, Agent." Stiles copied the man’s position, a wry smile on his face. "I don't know how this has anything to do with me. I was nine, almost ten at the time."

"It just so happens that we got a tip earlier today that you and Peter Hale might be involved with what has been happening here in Beacon Hills."

"Seriously? Because that is like, the craziest thing I've ever heard. Read my lips Agent. I. Had. Nothing. To do. With. The murders. I can prove it to you too. Take a polygraph or whatever. You can even go to my house to see if you can find anything, which you won't."

"We're already doing that Mr. Stilinski. And maybe we will take a polygraph."

Stiles saw that Sheriff Grahame was shifting uncomfortably in her position in front of the door. Well, at least someone in this room was acting nervous. "Fine. And by the way, I don't remember Scott mentioning you were back in town. Does he even know?"

The familiar 'oh-god-Stiles-shut-up' glare came out and he grinned, kicking at the legs of his chair. If the Agent didn't like his behavior, well he'd have to do something about it. Which he did. Which was why Stiles landed in a cell not five minutes later. 

He spent the next three hours singing obnoxiously as he swayed back and forth on the cot in the cell. The deputy that was on watch lasted only about twenty minutes before he caved, closing the door between the cells and the watch station. 

The whole situation was hilarious for Stiles and he never stopped smiling. Eventually Sheriff Grahame came to get him. She let him out of his cell with a guilty look, which told him exactly what he needed to know. He was reunited with his belongings and passed by the Agent as he left the Station with a grin on his face. It was already dark outside when he exited the building. He started off towards his jeep, but someone stepped out from behind a car which stopped him in his tracks. 

An old man was standing in front of him, a very sweet smile on his face that was clearly fake. Stiles moved to step around him, but he moved along with him. "Look, sir, I don't know what you're doing but I'm trying to get to my car."

"Oh, I know. You wouldn't happen to be the Stilinski kid, now would you?"

Stiles stepped back. The vibe that he was getting was not good at all and he already had an inkling of who this actually was. It frightened him that he was standing across from Gerard Argent without any kind of weapon on him. Gerard took his silence as an answer. "Your guardian is Peter Hale, I do believe? I'm surprised that you can stand living with a creature like him for all these years."

"Yeah, but the problem is that you can't choose your family."

"Indeed you can't..." He smacked his lips at Stiles. He obviously wanted to say more, but someone stepped up behind Stiles and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"Is there a problem here?" 

Even though Stiles was infuriated at Derek, he felt like he could melt in relief as the werewolf moved to stand next to him. Gerard's fake smile turned into a sneer as he looked at Derek. 

"I would say there is, but I suppose we can take care of that later." He drawled before going back to his black SUV. Stiles didn't relax until the vehicle was long gone. He took a moment to take a steadying breath before turning on Derek. Every fiber in his being was screaming at him to slug Derek, but he'd rather have his hand in one piece. Punching a werewolf felt just like punching a brick wall.

"What the hell are you doing? First you aren't trying to escape at all and a power outage comes along and you break out and go to the cops?!" Stiles was fuming. If this was Derek's so called way of 'helping him' then the Alpha sure was doing a very shitty job. "Some brilliant idea. It's like you're trying to get me on death row!" 

He kept his voice low enough that it didn't echo through the parking lot. There was no way of knowing if Derek had gone into the station and given the cops the tip or if he had called in anonymously. He was completely screwed if it had been the former and he was caught fighting with Derek. It would raise back the suspicion he had just gotten rid of. "Did you honestly not think I'd be smart enough to hide all of our things? I live with _Peter_. For god’s sake. I've dabbled in just enough magic and runes that I know how to hide things and make people see what I want them to see. You should just fuck off, Derek. I told you that I don't need your help!"

Stiles couldn't help but slap Derek on the chest as he ranted, wincing when Derek reached out and grabbed onto his wrist. "Steven is dead, Stiles. Somehow he stumbled into one of Gerard's traps and Gerard cut him in half a few hours ago."

The new information made Stiles' breath catch. He had only met Derek's Beta once, but even he knew that there was nothing worse to a werewolf than losing a pack mate. The fear that had been instilled in him by the short encounter with Gerard twisted and turned into white fury. This so called code that hunters claimed they followed was a boatload of bullcrap. Now he was certain that what he and Peter were doing was justified. Steven had probably only been out in the woods to look for Derek when he got caught in the trap. 

Stiles knew Derek, knew that Derek would have the same rules for his pack that Talia had set for hers. There was no doubt in his mind that Gerard didn't even care that he was killing someone who had never harmed an innocent before, just cut him in half for the heck of it. He gave Derek a cold stare, pulling his wrist out of Derek's grip. Stiles got into his jeep and drove off without going back. They needed to rid the world of Gerard Argent as soon as possible.

-

Everything passed by like a hazed blur.

He got home and immediately Peter was rushing over to him, checking to make sure that he was okay. Once the older man was satisfied they sat down on the couch in the living to talk about what happened. Peter was undeniably pissed that Derek managed to slip away from them. They should have used runes to tie him to the basement instead of just restraints. There's nothing that they could have done concerning the power outage, but it certainly didn't make it easier for either of them. They both agreed that they were going to have to keep a close eye on Derek now. It was one thing that he actually went to the authorities to give them a tip, but neither of them knew what kind of measures he would take now that his first plan has failed. 

Peter started complaining about how his day off had been ruined. Apparently the authorities had shown up on the doorstep just about the same time that Stiles had been confronted by Sheriff Grahame. A federal agent had taken Peter aside for some questions while he reluctantly let them search the property. 

It was mostly the same questions that had been asked to Stiles as well. A team had even been sent to the burned Hale house to see if there were potentially things hidden there. Not that there was anything there at all though. 

Peter preened at how well the runes that Stiles had placed around the house had worked. It had taken him all of his self-control not to smirk gleefully at the sight of deputies walking past an arsenal of weapons and not having the slightest clue of what they had stumbled across. The runes made it so that unwanted visitors couldn't see the basement for what it actually was. Sure, they had moved around some things, mistakenly setting a box aside that was filled with grenades, but none of them had even suspected that there was something wrong. After a thorough search of the house the federal agent had apologized and told Peter than Stiles had been contained for intimidating an agent but that he would be let go as soon as he gave his report. 

Stiles took they advantage of Peter's jolly mood to inform him that Gerard Argent had approached him once he left the Sheriff's station. Naturally Peter's mood plummeted immediately and it was all talk and no games right away. 

Stiles told him everything that had happened. How he had come out of the station and that the older man was waiting to confront him. He mentioned the most important bits of the short conversation that they had had and how Derek had intervened at one point. He told Peter that Steven had been killed the previous night by Gerard and even the werewolf couldn't help but flinch at his nephew's expense. They knew better than anyone else what it felt like to lose family and it was an even harder blow for an Alpha to lose one of their betas. 

They stayed up deep into the night discussing about the different ways that they could use to take care of Gerard. The problem was that neither of them really knew all that much about the hunter. His reputation preceded him, but it was hardly enough to go off of. They knew how ruthless he was and what kind of techniques he favored, but that was it. 

By the time that they had reached a compromise the sun was already peeking over the horizon. Stiles knew that it was much too late to get some sleep before school, so he settled for a nap. Even that didn't come easy to him despite how tired he was. His mind was racing in a million different directions. Thinking of ways to get rid of Gerard, thinking about what had happened at the station. Even comparing Derek's touch to Peter's. It was strange to him that similar touches felt so different. There had been a time when both of their touches had meant the same to Stiles, a time long ago, but it was mind boggling how it had changed over the years. 

Touching was a common occurrence with werewolves, which was something Stiles had learned early on. The simple act of touching was reassuring, and grounding to them and Stiles knew that fact intimately, with all of the panic attacks and night terrors that he had had as a child.

When Derek had placed his hand on Stiles' shoulder earlier, Stiles all but melted under his touch. It had been so comforting and to his core made him feel like he was in the safest place in the world. But Peter placing his hand on Stiles' shoulder before he had gone up to his room hadn't felt like anything. He supposed the act of it was supposed to be placating, but it had been anything but. 

Stiles wondered when that had changed. When touching between them had become insignificant. At one point Peter touching his head and ruffling his shorn hair made Stiles preen under the attention. When Derek and Laura had left for New York and Stiles crawled into Peter's bed at night because he was terrified that he was going to start having even worse night terrors and Peter pulled him close. Peter praising him and pulling him into a tight hug after their first trip to the shooting range. 

Stiles couldn't exactly pinpoint a time when that had changed, only that it had taken him so long to realize that it had, indeed, changed. But he had been living alone with Peter for over eight years now. If anything Stiles would think that it would be Peter's touches that calmed him down, that made him feel better about himself and everything that was happening around him. 

So why was it that Derek was the one that made him feel that way when he touched Stiles? Why was it that Derek, who had up and left Stiles eight years before without so much as a glance backwards made Stiles feel safe and wanted? He had meant every single thing that he told Derek after he had killed Allison. When Stiles said that he loved Derek it was in past tense. Right..? A few years ago he had grown over his childhood crush and started resenting Derek for leaving him and Peter so shortly after what had happened to them. 

Then what did that episode in the basement mean? Why had he gone down to see Derek at all? He had been touching him and basking in his presence and... 

Stiles let out a frustrated grunt as he threw his arms out and slammed them into the nearest object. Which happened to be his locker. He stared in confusion, breathing heavily through his mouth. There was a mumbling beside him and fingers softly ran over his bicep. He jumped to the side with a jerk, wide eyes staring at his confused best friend. Scott was standing right next to him. His hand still raised from when he had touched Stiles. Other students were staring at them as they walked past. He could not for the life of him remember going to school and by the looks of it the day had already ended. 

"Stiles? Hello? Earth to Stiles?"

Stiles turned his eyes back towards Scott before he let out a sigh and relaxed. "There you are. I've been trying to talk to you all day but you've been all but unresponsive the entire time! What's going on with you?"

"It's nothing Scott. I've just been stuck in my own thoughts. That's all." Which was a major understatement. It was even bigger than a major understatement, it was a humongous understatement! 

Somehow he had managed to get out of bed, drive to school and go through the entire school day without even realizing it. How something like that could happen seemed impossible to Stiles. Except it wasn't that impossible since he had done just that. He had no idea if he had already opened his locker and taken things out of it, but it didn't really matter. It wasn't like he knew what he would need to bring along for homework. He probably didn't even have any notes. 

The look that Scott gave him told him just how much Scott wasn't buying his explanation. "Look, Scotty, I just want to go home and-"

He was cut off by Scott grabbing him by the arm and tugging him off in the opposite direction of the school parking lot. All of his protests fell upon deaf ears as he was lead out of the school and promptly pushed down to sit on the bleachers. Scott stayed standing in front of him, his hands on his hips and one foot impatiently tapping the ground. 

They stared each other down, but it was Scott that broke the silence first. "What's been up with you man? You've been acting stranger and stranger over the past few months. I don't even know what's going on with you anymore! And after what happened to Allison, it's killing me to see you move away from me like you're doing now."

Stiles flinched at Scott's words. It was true. He had been spending less and less time with his best friend ever since he and Peter had started their plan for vengeance. "Look, Scott, it's just been a really busy time for me and I'm sorry that we haven't been hanging out."

"That's not the point Stiles! Sometimes it's like I don't even know who you are anymore! Did you even know that there's a rumor going around school that you were brought in for questioning regarding the murders?"

It was so blunt that Stiles couldn't help but flinch in reaction. He muttered a curse when he noticed how Scott's eyes widened and looked like they were trying to escape from his head.

"That was-! You've got to be kidding me!" Scott hissed out, plopping down to sit next to Stiles so he could hear him as he whispered. "That's true? They actually brought you in for questioning?"

"Scott. Just because they did that doesn't mean anythi-"

"It's Peter isn't it?"

Stiles just gaped at Scott. The expression on his best friends face was so serious and told him that he wasn't going to settle for any kind of shit that Stiles was bound to give him. Stiles flailed a little as he tried to formulate a good enough answer to get Scott off of his back. "Scott. Scotty! Are you kidding me? There's no way in _any_ kind of world that Peter could do something like that!"

Scott still looked skeptical even if it seemed that some of his suspicion had dissipated. "You can't blame me for worrying Stiles. Peter isn't exactly...stable."

"Scott, you can't seriously be accusing-"

"Stop it! Stop it!"

"You've met him more than enough times! When you were at my place or when he came to pick me up from your place. Why are you questioning him like this?"

"Because he _scares_ me!" Scott blurted out and he started breathing heavily. Stiles just stared at him as Scott grabbed his backpack and started searching through it for his inhaler. Once he got it out and used it, he took a moment to calm himself down a little before looking at Stiles with those big, brown puppy dog eyes. "Peter scares me shitless Stiles. He's always lurking and the way he looks is just...unsettling. But most of all I'm scared for you, Stiles. I'm scared that one day he's just going to snap and he's going to hurt you in some way. I know how easy it would for him to hurt you physically, but I'm terrified of what he can do to your mind. He's seen you through the worst parts of your life and he knows you through and through. I don't know if you're going to be okay or not Stiles..."

He couldn't help but be touched by Scott's concern. There was a little voice in his head that was trying to tell him how right Scott actually was, but it was silenced almost immediately. Peter would never dare to hurt him, either physically or mentally. He'd been helping Stiles throughout these hard years. Together they were strong and they kept each other sane. "Fine. If it makes you feel better I'll let you know if something like that happens alright?"

Scott's mopey look turned into a big grin and Stiles couldn't help but open his arms to his best friend with his own small grin. "Ah, come here you big puppy." They hugged it out for a few moments before an alarm went off. Scott cursed and grabbed his phone to turn the alarm off. He jumped up, apologizing to Stiles that he had to leave for work and ran off with a happy wave. 

Stiles waved him off and his small grin was immediately wiped off of his face, turning into a scowl. Sometimes he forgot just how perspective Scott could be, even though he was an idiot pretty much all the time. He'd have to be more careful about how he acted around him now. 

There was a prickling sensation at the back of his neck and he stood up and looked around. He couldn't see anyone in the vicinity, but that didn't mean that no one was there. He grabbed the straps of his backpack tightly and hurried over to the parking lot so he could drive home. All he wanted to do now was collapse on his bed and not think about anything. Maybe he would play a mindless video game. Kill some zombies and scream and rage. 

But of course the universe had it out for him and once he got home Peter called out to him from the living room. Stiles groaned and trudged over to where Peter was calling from, before coming to an abrupt halt when he saw that Derek, Bonnie and Iris were in the living room along with Peter. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out and he closed it again. 

The tension that was in the air was only between Peter and Derek, while Bonnie and Iris just lounged on the couch. So Stiles came to the conclusion that Derek hadn't told his two Betas where he had been the past few days. Now that was peculiar. Or at least, one of the many peculiar things that Derek had been doing lately. 

Without a word Stiles sat down on the arm of the chair that Peter was sitting on, ignoring when Peter reached out and placed a hand on his knee. He bit his lip to keep from laughing once the older man started tracing one of his fingers along the edge of his kneecap. Across from them Derek tensed and narrowed his eyes. Stiles decided that it must be an Alpha thing. Peter was showing Derek that despite everything that had happened, that Stiles was decidedly still on his side. 

"You came home at just the right time Stiles. See, Derek and I were just discussing the little problem that decided to swoop into Beacon Hills."

"By which I'm assuming you mean Gerard right?" Stiles looked at Peter and then to Derek, who gave him a minute nod in confirmation.  

"Gerard killed one of my Betas. I thought it'd be better to work together." No doubt to keep a close eye on the both of them. They were going to off the old hunter anyways, so the only reason why Derek would offer his help was to try and worm his way between the two of them. Stiles still wasn't quite sure what Derek had meant when he said he would help him, but this might be a part of his plan as well. 

He smirked inwardly as he adjusted his position on the arm of the chair, pressing himself closer to Peter so their sides were touching and flinging his arm over the top of the chair, his fingers dangling down so they were just barely touching Peter's hair. He could feel the smugness radiating from Peter. Stiles was sure that Derek's eyes actually flashed red for a moment and the two women were shifting uncomfortably from their own positions. Derek was probably just a ball of barely suppressed rage right now.

"Sounds reasonable. Do we already have a plan?" Stiles directed the question to Peter.

"We don't know where Gerard is staying yet, or what his plan is. So for now we're just going to be doing some reconnaissance."

"Alright. What can I do to help?"

Peter's grip on his knee tightened and he squirmed a bit.

"You are going to stay home like a good boy."

"Whoa! What? I am not going to stay behind when I could help."

"I can sneak out of the house easily. It wouldn't do well for us to give the authorities more reason to suspect us." Peter drawled, sending a glare Derek's way. 

Derek glared right back at him. Stiles looked at the two of them and then to the two Betas sitting on the couch, who were looking very confused. He was sure that as soon as they were out of ear shot that they would be asking Derek questions. It didn't look like the standoff was going to end anytime soon, so Stiles piped up, saying that now that that was settled then he needed some peace and quiet so he could do his homework. Not that he had any that he knew of, but they all needed to leave. 

This spurred Derek into action and he got up, his two Betas moving along with him. Stiles followed them to the door and waved when Bonnie and Iris left. The Camaro wasn't around, so Stiles assumed that they had walked over here. Derek didn't follow them out straight away, turning to Stiles and grabbing his shoulders. He narrowed his gaze at him, and Stiles couldn't help but marvel at the hazel color this light made Derek's eyes, and shook him lightly.

"You listen to Peter now."

"Oh really? So now you're telling me to listen to Peter." Stiles retorted skeptically.

Derek leaned forward, coming in impossibly close. He can feel his breath catch in his throat when he was staring right into Derek's impossible eyes. They were so close that when Derek started talking again that Stiles could faintly feel their lips brush against each other. "Yes. You need to stay safe. Gerard is dangerous." 

There was a moment of hesitation from the both of them as they continued breathing the same air. It made his gut twist in anticipation and his eyes flick down momentarily. The small movement of his eyes seemed to snap Derek out of whatever he was thinking and he backed up, taking his hands off of Stiles' shoulders. Without another word he left through the front door and closed it behind him. 

Stiles just stared at the closed door, not moving an inch when a possessive arm wrapped around his shoulders and the other reached up so Peter's hand could stroke his cheek. The twisting in his gut got worse as Stiles felt Peter press up close behind him, all but draping himself over Stiles' back. 

"It looks like for once Derek and I can agree on something. It wouldn't do either of us any good if Gerard got his filthy hands on you." His fingers trailed over Stiles' lips, efficiently wiping away any memory that Stiles had of his and Derek's lips brushing against each other. He grabbed Peter's hand and pulled it away from him, twisting his head slightly so he could look the older man in the face. 

"I have homework to do..."

With a small pout Peter unwrapped his arms from around Stiles. He said something about how important school was before letting Stiles hurry up to his room. He slammed the door to his bedroom as soon as he got inside, leaning his back against it and sliding down to the floor. His heart was hammering in his chest and he was thoroughly confused. Had that little stint by the front door been Derek and Peter trying to show off their dominance as Alphas, or had it been something more?

-

Life carried on almost normally after that. If one took away the fact that every night the werewolves would sit down in the living room at his house to discuss what they had observed. They had even been leaving Stiles out of most of their conversations, which just pissed him off. 

It was supposed to be Peter and him sitting down in the living room, huddled with each other as they planned to take Gerard out. It was supposed to be just the two of them. Derek had come completely unannounced and now he was butting into their business. On the one hand Stiles was kind of happy for the extra help, he just hated that the extra help was Derek. 

Over the past few days Stiles had been bonding a bit with Derek's Betas. Iris was a sweet young woman, only two years older than him. She had a great laugh and actually enjoyed his sarcastic jokes. Bonnie on the other side was more serious. But they two of them got along well enough. He had been making dinner one day and she had come into the kitchen asking if he wanted any help preparing the meal. Werewolves ate a lot, so he was already always compensating for Peter's appetite, but now he had to make sure that they had enough food with three extra werewolves hanging around. He had made Bonnie take off her leather jacket and tossed an old apron at her. They had worked in amiable silence and he had even managed to sneak into the discussion after dinner. Mostly he would be brushed off and sent off, but he had gotten in two or three times. 

Stiles made sure to always stick close to Peter even though it was hard to ignore the looks that Derek kept sending his way. Even if he wasn't a werewolf, Peter was most definitely his Alpha and he would stick with him through thick and thin. They needed each other, even though Stiles knew deep down that the dependence they often had wasn't a good thing. Nonetheless, he never said anything or acted differently when Peter made to touch him a lot more than before. Mostly they were short fleeting touches, but his hand lingered every once in a while. He even made sure to skirt out from Derek's hands whenever it seemed like he was going to touch him. Stiles had to show Derek that there was nothing that needed 'help'. 

So far they had been able to figure out that Gerard hadn't brought along a whole lot of men, only three or four and that made it a whole lot easier for them. No doubt they were all well trained, but four werewolves and a hunter specialized in taking down hunters would be able to take care of them without much trouble. 

The hunters had actually settled down in the house Chris Argent had been living in before. There were a lot of booby traps around the area though, so it was hard to get close. Right now they were mainly focused on seeing if they had any kind of routine. 

On the other hand, school was even more normal. There wasn't anything interesting happening either. The memorial for Allison was still there even if not as many people stopped to take a moment at it as before. Scott was still a frequent visitor though, taking in all of the pictures that had been hung up and bringing along a new flower every few days. It still bummed Stiles out that Scott was so heartbroken over it but time healed all wounds. 

The two of them started getting along as if Stiles had never acted strange for a few months. They were still wreaking havoc in Mr. Harris' chemistry class and tossing balled up notes at each other in English class. It was nice to have some time apart from all of the supernatural business he was always dealing with. 

Sometimes there would be a fleeting thought in his mind, wondering what his life would have been like if the Hale's hadn't taken him in. Maybe he would have grown to be an asshole jock, like Jackson or stayed at the orphanage until he was eighteen and had graduated high school. Perhaps he wouldn't even have stayed in Beacon Hills at all. Not that any of his speculations mattered at all though. His life was his life and even though there had been so much tragedy and sorrow in it, he wouldn't want it any other way. 

Stiles was excited for the future. After getting rid of Gerard Argent he'd be able to live a life much like any other person his age. With his grades he'd be able to get into many different schools, but he wanted to stay close to Beacon Hills. He hadn't talked to Peter about his options yet, but so far Berkeley was looking like his best choice. But who knew? Maybe Peter wouldn't mind moving so Stiles could go to university somewhere else. He was always encouraging Stiles to do his best academically. They'd have more than enough time to figure that out later. So hopefully the whole Gerard ordeal would be taken care of before Winter Break.

There were times when he was walking around that he still felt like he was being watched though, but he never caught hide or hair of anyone taking any kind of explicit attention to him. He decided that it might be the federal agents. They didn't seem like the type to step down from a tip in an otherwise cold case. It made him squirm a little at the thought that it might actually be the hunters, but for all he knew it might be one of the werewolves, checking to make sure that he was alright. He was hardly ever alone though, that was something he made sure of. 

Strangely enough Lydia Martin had decided to grace his and Scott's presence somewhere along the road, not giving any kind of explanation when she placed her tray on their table during lunch, dragging Jackson and Danny along with her. Scott was clearly shocked by the sudden turn of events, but Stiles was sure that it had something to do with Allison. They had all hung out a couple of times before because Lydia had been Allison's best friend and Scott had been dating Allison. It was still strange when the 'cool kids' starting hanging out with them, but there were certainly no complaints at all. Except from Jackson. But that was just because the guy was a major douchebag. 

It shouldn't have been a surprise to him though that one of the first times he was alone in over a week and a half that he was jumped. He was completely unaware of it too. The day had been spent with Scott, Lydia and Jackson and they had just hung out at Lydia's house. They had been watching movies (the Notebook being one of them) and just doing things like seniors their age. Like underage drinking. Lydia's mom was hardly ever at home and she had gotten a bottle of vodka from the mom's stash. Needless to say Stiles was a bit more than tipsy when he had left her house. Scott had left earlier because Dr. Deaton had given him a Sunday shift and Jackson was staying over at Lydia's, so he was the only one that left the house. 

His senses were completely jumbled when someone approached him from behind and whacked him in the head just as he was unlocking the jeep. He crumpled to the ground with a pained groan as the man who had attacked him opened up the jeep. Stiles was unceremoniously thrown into the back seat before the jeep was put into reverse and they drove off. The combination of the alcohol and his aching head was enough to keep him down as they drove. 

More than once he tried to muster up enough energy to at least try and take advantage of his kidnapper, but it was pretty much a lost cause. He knew that he probably didn't have a concussion though, so that was a small reassurance. The jeep jerked to a stop an unknown amount of time later and he was pulled out of the car. 

Stiles looked around and grumbled under his breath. Of course someone like Gerard had a flair for the dramatics. Another hunter came out the burnt remains of the Hale house, holding a zip tie and tightening it around his hands. He was brought into the house and shoved into the front room on the left. Gerard was sitting on the singed remains of one of the couches that had survived the blaze, with a dangerous smile. 

"Stiles. How nice of you to join us." He flicked his wrist and the first hunter reached into his pockets and took out his wallet and his phone, before tossing them both to Gerard. The old man just stared at the phone for a few moments and then disassembled the back to take out the battery. He then moved onto Stiles' wallet, looking at the contents and taking out his driver’s license. 

"I'm not even going to try and pronounce your first name, but I'm surprised that you only have Stilinski as your last name. You'd think that after living with dogs for most of your life you'd devote more of yourself to them. And you look so very unassuming. It's hard to think that a scrawny thing such as yourself is already such a legend among hunters. Your caricature is very ironic as well with your red hood and all. One would think that you're mocking us."

Stiles glared at Gerard, trying to take in everything around him. Two of the hunters were flanking him and there was another in what used to be the kitchen behind Gerard. There might be another one guarding the perimeter, but he hadn't seen anyone else. "Someone really likes the sound of his voice."

The older hunter got up with a chuckle, tossing the wallet over his shoulder as he walked towards Stiles. He reached up as if to touch Stiles' face and the teen flinched away from the supposed touch. Gerard just smirked at him. 

"You know, despite everything you do have a pretty face. I'm sure that it wouldn't be taken lightly if it were marred." Before Stiles could react, Gerard pulled his arm back and punched him in the face. He collapsed under the force of the hit and his head collided with the ground. He coughed, using his bound hands to try and push himself up a little and he was hit by a bout of nausea. He might not have had a concussion before, but there was little doubt in his mind that he had one now. 

Gerard kneeled down next to him and in a blink of an eye brought his fist down on Stiles again. His head slammed onto the ground and darkness. 

-

When he woke up again he was being jostled. Someone was manhandling him into a standing position and it was hard for him to ignore the sudden nausea that hit him. Gerard came forward and grabbed him by the back of his neck once they reached the porch. Stiles stumbled down the steps as he was pushed along by Gerard, having a hard time keeping his balance. 

They stopped off to the side and he had to blink a few times to get his bearings. There was a car a ways in front of them, the headlights nearly blinding him. 

The car doors opened and Gerard pressed a gun to the side of his head. Peter came into view, closely followed by Derek, Bonnie and Iris. None of them were looking happy in the least. Stiles could only imagine what it must have been like for them when they found out that he had been taken. Peter was one shit storm to deal with when he was pissed off. 

Stiles chuckled at the thought and spit some blood out of his mouth. For an old guy, Gerard sure packed quite a punch. The gun was pressed more firmly against his temple.

Judging by Peter's and Derek's expressions his face probably looked like a hot mess. There was an old-fashioned stare down. The hunters behind Gerard were shifting slightly and across from them the werewolves were clenching their fists. 

"Can we get on with this _please_? I don't think anyone would appreciate it if I hurl right here." Stiles muttered. Gerard cocked his revolver, the sound ringing through Stiles' ear. 

"I guess the boy is right. Not that it matters. I'm going to get rid of all of you and I'm going to take extra special care for the ones that killed my family."

He could see that Peter was itching to tell Gerard in detail how they had all died, but he thought it would be better if he were the distraction, that way the werewolves might be able to get some sort of attack in. 

"Oh right. Them. Well Chris got his face torn off by Peter you see, after he shot me. I'm pretty sure Victoria's throat was slit by him as well. As for Kate... I pumped her full of lead. Once in her back and then while I hovered over her. And you should have seen poor Allison's face once she realized I was going to kill her. Major shock to see your boyfriends best friend point a gun into your face." He grunted in pain as Gerard's gun moved down over his bruised cheekbone and pressed down hard on it. 

At least now the hunter's attention was on him. 

He looked up and caught Peter's eyes, twiddling his thumbs to give Peter a hint of what he was going to do. Spittle splashed on his face as Gerard ranted, but he ignored it. Instead he shifted so he had a solid stance. Once Peter nodded at him Stiles brought his bound hands up and smacked them onto his lower abdomen, causing the zip tie to snap open. Without pausing his movement, Stiles moved to snap Gerard's wrist which caused the revolver to fall out of his hands. 

It was as if the weapon falling on the ground signaled a start and there was an ear deafening roar. Someone collided into Gerard, pulling the older hunter off of him and he stumbled to the ground. There were sounds of struggle all around him. A gunshot echoed through the air accompanied by a pained shout. 

He fisted the ground and looked around. His fingers brushed against the barrel of the revolver so he picked it up. Derek was struggling with a hunter a short distance from him and Stiles lifted the revolver and shot the hunter. The man crumbled to the ground as Derek turned around to look at him with wide eyes. 

Apparently the guy had been the last hunter because there was an eerie silence for a few seconds before it was broken by pained sniffles. Bonnie was kneeling on the ground next to a gasping Iris. From his position it was hard to see where the blonde Beta had been hit, but it didn't look promising at all. 

Peter walked towards them as Bonnie struggled to remove a bullet from a gun, probably the one that had been used to shoot Iris. His front was splattered with bright red blood. He walked around them, calmly watching the scene in front of him. And in a single movement he reached down and tore Bonnie's throat out with his claws. Derek screamed in pure rage next to him and Stiles shakily pushed himself to his feet. 

"Peter?!"

Peter rolled his head to look at the two of them, cocking his head to the side as he sent a closed smile Derek's way. "Peter, what are you doing?" Stiles asked breathlessly. "We finally got rid of Gerard. We got vengeance for what his family did to us."

"Gerard isn't the last piece to our vendetta Stiles."

For an Alpha who just had one of his Beta's killed by another Alpha, Derek wasn't doing much. In fact, his growling even lessened. Stiles turned so he could see both Peter and Derek at the same time. "Of course he was. Gerard was the last Argent."

"Gerard was indeed the last Argent..." Peter drawled, bring his hand up to inspect his bloody claws. "But he wasn't the last person involved in the fire that burned everyone alive."

Stiles was having a hard time comprehending what Peter was saying. He was already dizzy and slightly disoriented as it was, but Peter was making no sense at all. They had killed Kate and her accomplices. They had gotten rid of Kate's extended family. There wasn't anyone else to take care of.

"I see... You haven't figured it out yet, have you Stiles? And you're such a bright young man. Don't you see? How could Kate have known that the entire family was going to be inside the house? How did she know when to strike?"

Stiles' stomach plummeted and his head snapped to Derek. Derek who was clenching his fists at his side and glaring down at the ground. Derek who had a sickeningly guilty expression on his face. 

"No. No..." Stiles choked out.

"Yes Stiles. It was Derek. The fool was stupid enough to believe that Kate loved him and he told her everything about our family."

"Derek. Please tell me he's lying. Please tell me that what he's saying isn't the truth. Derek..."

Derek didn't do anything. He just shook his head and kept staring resolutely at the ground. Stiles couldn't help but let out a small choked sob. All that time that Derek had spent away from the house. The distancing from his family. It was all because of Kate. It was all because he was seeing her. Their family had been burned alive because Derek had told Kate about them being werewolves. It explained everything what had happened afterwards. It explained Derek pulling away even more after the fire and it explained why he had left with Laura. 

"He's the last person we have to kill Stiles."

He turned back to Peter, sure that he had a horrified expression on his face. Peter wanted to kill Derek?

"Don't give me that look. You were fine when we killed Laura. You even risked yourself to keep her from getting away."

"This is different! How am I supposed to-...? I can't do it. I can't."

"Then get out the way. I'll do it."

Peter's face contorted as he shifted into his Beta form and Derek's head finally snapped up. He ran over to Stiles and pushed him away. "Stiles! Run!"

They slammed into each other, falling to the ground and rolling away from where he was. His stomach plummeted as he turned around to run into the house. He couldn't understand what was happening. His thoughts weren't catching up with the events that had occurred. There were loud growls and roars as the two Alphas struggled. 

Stiles stopped at the side of the stairs, pressing his hands over his ears as his breath steadily quickened in panic. Why was this happening? They were supposed to be done with killing now. It was supposed to end with Gerard. He let out a shriek when Derek grabbed his shoulder. The werewolf's shirt was ripped to shreds and he was covered in blood. "You've got to get away Stiles. Peter's going to-."

Peter came running inside, grabbing Derek and slamming him to ground. He snarled as he ground his foot down on his nephew’s neck. Derek wheezed underneath him and tried to pry off his foot. Stiles let out a shuddering gasp as Peter turned his red gaze on him, his face softening and shifting back once he saw how spooked Stiles was. 

He cooed softly as he reached up and ran his bloody fingers over Stiles’ cheek. "Calm down Stiles. It's going to be alright. After this we're going to be done. After this we can move on and live our lives like we were meant to." His hand trailed down and grabbed Stiles' wrist, bringing it up between them and exposing the slightly bruised flesh. "We can start a new pack together. Just imagine it Stiles. Me as the Alpha and you as my...second. We could become the most powerful pack around. Just imagine how strong the two of us are going to be together." Peter leaned forward, his voice practically a purr as he spoke. The only thing that separated them was Stiles' hand. Peter's eyes roamed his face as he tilted his head to the side to take a deep sniff at Stiles’ wrist. "Just say the word Stiles. Just say _yes_ and we'll be together."

His breathing had calmed down considerably now, coming out in deep huffs instead of quick, shaky breaths. He thought about what Peter was implying. It was tempting. Oh so very tempting. It wasn't hard to see either. Stiles could just imagine standing on a rebuilt porch next to Peter as they watched their pack race through the forest that surrounded their territory. Of course the same image popped in his head, only with... 

"Yeah..." Stiles breathed out, watching as Peter's eyes glowed red again and hearing Derek let out a shocked gasp. His mouth turned into a sickeningly sweet smile. "No."

He was still holding the revolver that he had grabbed off the ground earlier and he brought it up under Peter's chin and pulled the trigger. The world in front of him blossomed in red. Warm blood splattered onto his face as Peter slumped forward. The grip on his wrist disappeared just as his body fell to the side and thumped to the ground. Stiles dropped the revolver and his legs gave out under him. 

Within a second Derek's hands were framing his cheeks, a worried expression on his face as he tried to say something. Stiles let out a shuddering chuckle. "I'm sorry Derek. I'm _so_ sorry."

"It's okay. It's okay Stiles. I'm going to take care of you. You'll be alright, I promise Stiles."

Derek leaned forward and pressed a hard kiss on his forehead, moving down to kiss his cheeks. "Derek. Derek."

"I know Stiles. We'll figure it out."

Then he leaned forward and pulled Stiles into a kiss. It was only their lips pressing softly together but the simple act made his chest fill with warmth and his skin tingled. He grabbed onto Derek's shoulders when the werewolf leaned back and looked at him with those impossible eyes of his. Stiles couldn't help but pull him back in for another kiss. He needed to know that Derek was with him. He needed to know that Derek wasn't going to run away this time and that he was going to stay by his side. And in the moment that their lips pressed together again and Derek tightened his hold on him, Stiles knew that he had made the right decision.

**Author's Note:**

> I am emotional drained you guys. Do you know how hard this was for me to write? On the other hand... I can't help but want to write what would have happened if Stiles had actually chosen Peter instead of Derek. -hides-


End file.
